Medical examination support device



1366- ,1969 H. E. ALLEN ETAL MEDICAL EXAMINATION SUPPORT DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 22. 1967 FIG.4

FIG.5'

INVENTORS Hun/102 2;. ALLEN,

EDWARD LDUERMANM EL GIN DER/10x5 Q 4 6 Dec. 2, 1969 H. E- ALLE'N'ETAL MEDICAL EXAMINATION SUPPORT DEVICE .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 22, 1967 N a m J T M T N .H .u A ENr VEUH ufl Ln .ALC 5mm United States Patent US. Cl. 269-328 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A supporting device for positioning a person upon a horizontal surface, such as a bed, in an attitude to facilitate medical examination thereof. A pair of the devices will particularly facilitate the proper positioning of the pelvic area for obstetrical and gynecological examination and treatment. The device comprises an elongate member with upper and lower surfaces of suflicient size to support and elevate a buttock of a person who is lying upon a bed. The device is generally wedge-shaped with the upper and lower surfaces extending at an angle to one another with a means for positioning and supporting a foot of the person adjacent the upper surface of the device at its distal end. The distance between the foot supporting means and the area for supporting the buttock of the person is less than the length of the extended leg of the person. In use, a device is positioned under each of the buttocks of the person with the heel of the corresponding foot of the person placed within the foot supporting means in that device. The proper attitude for examination of the person may be attained by adjusting the position of the buttock upon the upper support surface to vary the distance between that position and the foot supporting means and by varying the horizontal angular relationship between two of the devices as desired by the examining physician.

This invention is a device to assist in supporting a patient on a horizontal surface, such as a bed, in the proper position for pelvic examination and treatment, particularly for obstetrical and gynecological examination, observation and treatment. It is necessary to make such examinations upon arrival of the patient at the medical examining station or hospital emergency room, and prior to operation or treatment during recuperative period in which the patient is bedridden. Such examinations are particularly difficult in the case of the bedridden patient, due to the fact that the weight of the patients hips tend to recess the pelvic area of the patient below the plane of the bed, thus rendering proper examination and treatment difficult.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a device which will assist in properly positioning a patient for examination and treatment by elevating the pelvic area at least to the plane of the bed. The invention in addition will obviate the need for transferring the patient from a hospital bed or other support to an examination table, which transfer, in many cases, is timeconsuming and may be detrimental to the health of the patient.

The invention, in its preferred embodiment, consists of an elongate wedge-shaped support which can be manufactured of light-weight material, such as foamed polystyrene, but preferably is made from a single piece of light-weight but strong folding material, such as cardboard or corrugated paper board. When so constructed, the foldable cardboard devices are economical, may be easily stored and transported in flat condition, can be supplied to all possible stations in a hospital or clinic ICC where the device may be used to facilitate medical examination, and readily can be disposed of after each usage.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of two of the support devices of this invention placed in position upon a bed. It is to be understood that a patient to be examined would be resting face up upon the bed with one leg supported by each of the devices shown;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the support device of this invention, showing in dotted lines some of the construction details of the folded cardboard device;

FIG. 3 is an end view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 and showing, on an enlarged scale, details of the elevated foot support of the device of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, shown on an enlarged scale and taken along line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is another cross-sectional view, shown on an enlarged scale and taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal, vertical cross-sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 2 and shown on an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a single sheet of foldable material, such as cardboard, which may be constructed to form the device of this invention as it is shown in FIGS. 1 through 6.

As seen in perspective in FIG. 1, the device of this invention consists of a generally Wedge-shaped elongate member having diverging upper and lower support surfaces extending from its proximal end 10, at the apex of the angle, towards its distal end 11.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the proximal end 10' of the device is substantially wider than the distal end 11 of the device. The width of the proximal end 10, which, in the preferred embodiment, is about 6-8 inches, is Such that the upper surface of the device, designated by reference numeral 12, is wide enough to fully support a buttock of a patient. The lower surface, generally designated by reference numeral 13, at the proximal end 10 is of the same width as the upper surface 12 to provide a substantial support area so that the device will not be depressed for any distance into the bed surface by the weight of the patient, and, thus, to elevate the pelvic area above the bed surface.

At the distal end of the upper surface 12 is a depressed area which forms a foot positioning and support means 14 for receiving a heel of the person to be examined. This foot support means or depression 14 is formed be- :tween the uppermost edges of a pair of generally triangular sidewalls 15 and 1 6 which support the upper surface 12 above the lower surface 13. The depression '14 is just wide enough to position the heel of the patients foot between the upper edges of the sidewalls 15 and 16, is generally triangular in shape, and is formed by folding and depressing portions of what would be an extension of the upper surface 12 below its level, as will be subsequently explained. The distance between the foot supporting means or depression 14 and the area on the upper surface 12 for supporting the buttocks of the patient, generally designated by reference numeral 17 in FIG. 2, is shorter than the length of the patients leg when extended, so that, when the patient is properly positioned upon the device, the knee will be flexed. The amount of knee fiexure may be varied by sliding the device further under the patient to shorten the effective distance between the position of the foot on the foot supporting means 14 and the position of the corresponding buttock of the patient.

The device of this invention, as it is shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 6, is constructed from a single sheet of material shaped as shown in FIG. 7 and folded along the lines indicated by light lines in FIG. 7. This sheet of material may be cardboard or corrugated board and preferably is scored for folding along the lines indicated. The upper surface of the device lies at the center of the unfolded sheet, as designated by reference numeral 12a and is between two identical, generally triangular sections 15a and 16a which form the lateral sidewalls 15 and 16. The junctures or borders between the sections 15a and 16a and section 12a, designated by reference numerals 18 and 19, respectively, are scored to facilitate proper folding. At the outer edge of section 15a is a section 13a which, when folded along its scored juncture 20, will comprise the lower surface 13 of the device. At the outer edge 21 of the section 13a are a pair of locking tabs 22 and 23 which are adapted for insertion in slots 24 and 25 which are correspondingly positioned on a scored juncture 26 between the sidewall section 16a and a flap 27 which extends along its outer edge. As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the flap 27 is folded at right angles to the section 16a so that, when the tabs 22 and 23 are inserted in the slots 24 and 25, respectively, the flap 27 lies parallel to the adjacent edge of the inner surface of section 13a.

At the proximal end 10 of the section 12a which forms the upper surface 12 of the device, a flap 28 is provided to be folded inwardly to rest upon the inner surface of the section 13a which becomes the lower surface 13 of the device, as best seen in FIG. 6. The flap 28 is attached to the edge of the section 13a by a narrow section or strip 29 bounded by a pair of score lines 30 and 31 which assures complete closure of the proximal end 10 of the device when folded.

At the distal end of the section 12a is a juncture or score line 32 which extends across the section 13a and intersects the score lines 18 and 19 at points designated by reference numerals 33 and 34. From these points 33 and 34, a pair of score lines 35 and 36 extend to the ends of the sections 15a and 16a as shown. From the points 33 and 34 a second pair of score lines 37 and 38 extend at an angle to the score lines 35 and 36 to define a pair of sections 39a and 40a which, when the device is folded, constitute exposed surfaces 39' and 40 that lie in the same plane on either side of the foot supporting means or depression 14.

A pair of slots 41 and 42 extend inwardly from the outermost end edges of this section of the sheet on either side of a pair of sections 43a and 43b which are separated by a central score line 44. Finally, between the inner ends of the slots 41 and 42 and the points 33 and 34, two pairs of score lines 45 and 46 meet at an apex with the line 44 and divide the area between lines 37 and 38 into three triangular sections, 47a, 48a and 49a which, when depressed below the level of the surfaces 39a and 40a and the edge of the upper surface 12 at score line 32, form the foot supporting depression 14 as will be subsequently explained below. Finally, an end closure section 50 extends from the proximal end of the outer section 13a and a score line 51 separates a locking tongue 52 from the end closure section 50. A slot 53 is cut into the outer edge of the locking tongue 52. This slot 53 is wide enough to embrace the sections 43a and 4312 (FIG. 4) when they are folded together along the score line 44.

To fold the device from the shaped and scored sheet of material shown in FIG. 7, the first step is to fold downwardly the sections 15a and 160 along the score lines 18 and 19 which separate these sections 15a and 16a from the section 12a, to form an inverted, U-shaped tunnel. The bottom of the tunnel is closed by folding the outer section 13a downwardly along its score line 20 relative to the section 16a. After the flap 28 has been folded downwardly along the score lines 30 and 31 to a position almost parallel with the section 12a, as seen in FIG. 6, the section 13a is folded under the section 12a and the locking tabs 22 and 23 are inserted in slots 24 and 25, respectively, with the flap 27 positioned parallel 4 to the inner surface of the section 13a, as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The foot supporting means or depression 14 is formed by depressing the sections 47a, 48a and 49a downwardly and by folding the sections 43a and 43b toward each other so that their exposed faces, as seen in FIG. 7, will be adjacent, as seen in FIG. 4. When thus folded, the surfaces 39 and 40 face upwardly and extend from the points 33 and 34 at right angles to the sidewall sections 15 and 16. The slots 41 and 42 are in side-by-side position just below the surfaces 39 and 40, as best seen in FIG. 6. The end closure 50 is then folded upwardly with respect to the bottom section 1311 along score line 54 and the locking tongue 52 is folded downwardly with respect to the end closure 50 and the slot 53 is inserted into the slots 41 and 42, as best seen in FIG. 6, to complete construction of the device. The device thus formed appears as it is shown in FIG. 1, and is ready for use.

Preferably the underside of the bottom 13 is coated with at least several areas, indicated by the reference numeral 55 in FIG. 7, of a suitable anti-slip material, such as rubber, in order to retain the devices and, thus, the legs and knees of the patient in the spread position selected by the examining physician.

The device of the preferred described embodiment, which is folded from a single piece of sheet material, is particularly advantageous in that it may be quickly constructed, may be stored flat in stacks before construction, and is economical and thus may be used as a disposable item of equipment. It is light-weight but sufficiently strong to perform its intended function.

Various other modifications of the invention may be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the attached claims.

We claim:

1. A supporting device for positioning a person upon a horizontal surface to facilitate medical examination comprising an elongate member having opposed upper and lower surfaces and vertically extending lateral surfaces, the upper and lower surfaces having a width at the proximal end thereof sufiicient to provide generally planar upper and lower support surfaces of sufiicient area to support a buttock of the person to be examined and with said upper and lower surfaces extending at an angle to one another from an apex at said proximal end toward the distal end of said elongate member, and means for positioning and supporting a foot of the person at a level above said lower surface and at said distal end of said body, the distance between said foot supporting means and the area for supporting the buttock being less than the length of the extended leg of said person whereby, when said proximal end of said device is properly positioned beneath the buttock of the person, the heel of the foot of the person may be positioned in said foot supporting means at said distal end by bending the knee of the person.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said upper surface extends at an angle to said lower surface from the apex at said proximal end over one-half of the length of said elongate member whereby the effective distance between the foot support means and the area below the buttock may be adjusted with respect to the person being examined by positioning the buttock at its desired position along said upper surface.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said foot supporting means at said distal end of said body includes a depression extending below the uppermost edges of said opposed lateral surfaces and below said upper surface adjacent said distal end to provide means for locating the heel of said foot adjacent said distal end and above said lower surface.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the width of said upper and lower surfaces at said distal end of said elongate member is less than said width at said proximal end such that the distance between said opposed lateral surfaces at said distal end adjacent said foot supporting means is just sufiicient to provide said foot supporting means therebetween.

5. A device constructed from a unitary piece of semirigid, foldable sheet material which, when constructed by folding together, provides a hollow elongate wedge-shaped member having diverging upper and lower surfaces with lateral sidewalls extending from the proximal end of said member to the distal end thereof and having a depressed area in said upper surface adjacent said distal end and elevated above said lower surface, said device comprising a generally planar sheet of material with (1) a central elongate section,

(2) a generally triangular elongate sidewall section on each side of said central elongate section which, when folded at right angles to said central section along their junctures, form with said central section an elongate, inverted U-shaped member with generally triangular sidewalls, with said central section forming an inclined upper surface having an elevated distal end,

(3) an outer elongate section adjacent the outer edge of one of said sidewall sections and having the general dimensions of said central elongate section which, when folded along its juncture with and at right angles to its adjacent sidewall section, extends 6 across the open side of said U-shaped member to form a bottom closure therefor,

(3a) means for interlocking the outermost edge of said outer elongate section with the adjacent outer edge of the opposite sidewall section,

(4) a multiple scored area adjacent the distal end of said central elongate section which, when folded downwardly from the plane of said central elongate section, forms a depression between said sidewalls,

(5) an end closure tab secured to the distal end of said outer elongate section which, when folded at right angles thereto, extends across the elevated end of said elongate member, and

(6) means for interlocking said end tab with the adjacent portions of said multiple scored area at the distal end of said elongate member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 828,007 8/ 1906 Williams 269-328 2,581,110 1/1952 Kenworthy 5-327 X 3,066,322 12/1962 Derby 269-328 X ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

